As the World Falls Down
by Eastbrook
Summary: The story of two illfated lovers, pushed apart by war, hatred, and change. Yes, it's mildly mushy. Oh, and yes, it's Ganondorf and Impa.
1. Chapter I

**As the World Falls Down**

_by: Starlight Sonata_

_"As the pain sweeps through  
Makes no sense for you  
Every thrill has gone  
Wasn't too much fun at all  
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo  
As the world falls down,"_

__

_-_ David Bowie

* * *

Boy and beast were entrenched in a battle to the death, sword against claws, teeth against steel. A ring of fire blazed around then, flames licking hungrily at the rumbling heavens. Rain poured like a deluge from the heavens, though unable to quench the magic-infused inferno.

The battle appeared more-or-less one-sided with the monstrous demon charging after the boy, its razor sharp claws cutting into stone and nicking flesh. The boy simply ducked and dodged, every now and then taking a swat at the monster's tail. Though the strikes were few and far between they seemed to be taking their toll, as the beast's pace began to slow and his accuracy began to lessen.

Blood mixed with water and dripped toward the ground. Scarlet red blood from the Hylian boy and thick, ebon blood from the demon. The blood was spread across the entire ring, marking not only the ferocity of the battle, but the length of it as well. It seemed like it had lasted for an eternity, stretching on and on, tiring both combatants but not quelling them.

More time passed, more circling and slashing, more dodging and grunting. Now, the battle was even. The beast was tired, as was the boy. But, the boy still possessed his smaller body and speed, the monster only had his gruesome axes, which it would swing side to side every now and then, but surely miss the boy.

As the rain poured and the night moved onward, it seemed that the battle would never end. The two foes would be forever locked, blood thirst pounding through their veins, determination keeping them upright. But, that thought was dashed when the boy rolled through the demon's legs yet again and brought his hammer down on upon the spiked tail. The beast released a grisly bellow and collapsed to the ground, the overall pain far too much to ignore anymore.

The boy sped from it, as the walls of fire fell, revealing a worried princess and a magnificent sword. He ripped the blade from the ground and stalked back into the ring, poised to destroy his enemy.

Impa closed her eyes then, unable to watch further. The image before her rippled angrily, as if demanding her attention. She stood with the other Sages in the Sacred Realm, watching the final battle between the King of Evil and the Hero of Time. The image was projected inside of a glittering well of water, and they all circled around it, watching with baited breath.

Every slash and slice would elicit a gasp from Ruto or a shout from Darunia. This was the culmination of all their combined efforts, the ultimate fall of Ganondorf, the

Great King of Evil. It would have been putting it lightly to say that the tension in the room could have been cut with a knife.

She wanted to say she didn't care, no, she wanted to scream it. She wanted to stand on the peak of Death Mountain and yell to the world that none of what was happening bothered her. She knew she'd be lying, but at least she'd feel a little better about the whole situation. But now, as the chips were laid down on the table and the game had begun, she couldn't even lie to herself anymore, even less to the whole world.

Her impassive wall had gone up the instant Link had entered the Dark Castle; her thick veneer that she utilized whenever she knew the going was going to get tougher. It had, of course. She had helped him, as she was expected to, maybe even got a little satisfaction out of it, as well. It's not like she didn't know this was going to happen. It's not like she hadn't predicted it from the beginning.

"_Your pride is going to be your downfall one day,"_

That's what she had said, she knew he heard her, he had been there looking at her with those piercing eyes. He even looked like he was listening. Of course, he hadn't been. In one ear out the other, that's the way he always was when she tried to warn him about things. He didn't need her warnings, he had it all figured out. Well, look where all his figuring got him now; on the sharp end of the Master Sword.

She sighed and opened her eyes. The battle still raged, with Link, the Hero of Time, taking the lead. Ganondorf's, no, it was Ganon now. Nothing of the King of Gerudo's remained, his humanity had withered away leaving only malice and depravity in its wake. He now resembled the beast that he had become, how ironic...how sad.

There was nothing she could have done to save him; he was too damned stubborn for that. He'd rather fade away into the shadows than admit that he had been wrong, that he had been an utter idiot. Oh, and he had been. This whole rule the world deal was absolutely ridiculous. Did he really think he could win? No, knowing him he probably knew he couldn't, that's probably the main reason he did it. He always liked to swim against the current. Stupid man.

Not like she really cared that he was about the be decimated. Bastard sure deserved it after what he put everyone through. He deserved to be sent to some dark dimension, to rot with the demons he created. She was happy he wouldn't be around the bug her or confuse her. It was better this way, it really was. Now she could focus on the important things, like...caring for the Shadow Temple. Yeah, that seemed important, besides she was a Sage it was her job now. No time for stupid men in there at all. Her schedule was completely full up.

All right, she wanted to scream again. Stupid, stupid Ganondorf. He'd done a number on her for sure. He made her want to tear up her schedule (even though it really was empty), he made her want to give up being a Sage. Oh yes, and he made her want to scream and kick her feet like a two year old having a temper tantrum. But most of all he made her want to fly out of the Sacred Realm and grab that Master Sword out of Link's hand before he hurt someone with it, specifically speaking, Ganon, and tell Ganon that it was okay he was a giant mutant pig and that they could someway find a way to work things out, she was sure they had clinics for these type of things, so if he'd only stop trying to destroy the world, they could find a way to make everything right again...somehow.

Yeah, she was crazy. A certified nut ball, complete with delusions. She knew she could never make it right, not the way she wanted it to be. She wanted Ganondorf to be sane again, she wanted Zelda and Link to be safe, she wanted, she wanted, she wanted. She wanted everything at the same time, but she knew when one wants things too much they receive very little in return. Greed was never a good characteristic to possess...Ganondorf being the perfect example. His greed had consumed him, and not even her pleas could bring him back from the brink. He was lost to the world now, consumed by the Triforce of Power. Oh, and sweet merciful Din, she hated him for it. That hatred for him, for his selfishness, was the only thing that kept her going these past few months. This need to show him what a fool he was, and if locking him up in the Dark World was the only way so be it. If keeping him away from her was the only way that he could realize his folly, then that was the way it had to be. Though, it may kill her in the end.

She'd been like the walking dead for far too long. Just going through the motions of everyday life. There was no way she could consciously do what she was doing and survive mentally intact. Even now, she knew she was pushing it. Allowing herself to think on it, think on what they were doing, what she was doing, was dangerous. There was a chance she would lose herself and really find herself flying out of the Sacred Realm and fighting alongside Ganon.

The battle was nearly over when she refocused, Ganon was limping badly, black blood pouring like little waterfalls down his bulk. Link looked pretty beat up as well, there were an endless multitude of tears in his silly green tunic, as well as bloodstains. There was also quite a nasty gash on his forehead; she was sure the blood was pouring into his eyes.

But, in an instant more, none of that mattered. The master sword fell upon Ganon's torn flesh, eliciting an agonizing roar. He fell then, his giant bulk causing the ground to rumble. Zelda jumped at the opportunity to hold him with her magic, a brilliant ray of light emanated from her outstretched palm onto the heaving demon.

"**Link! Finish him off with the sword of time, the Master Sword**!"

Link complied, raising the mighty weapon in both hands, looking completely the part of the Hero of Time for the first time in Impa's eyes. With a battle cry, he struck Ganon in the forehead, allowing a black stream of blood to gush from the wound.

"**Ancient creator's of Hyrule**," Her voice, though strong and powerful, was muffled slightly, like she was screaming through water. Impa winced at the words, knowing full well what was to happen next.

"**Now, open the sealed door and send the Evil Incarnation of Darkness into the void of the Evil Realm!**"

She felt the air around her begin to swirl as a purple light began to radiate from her body. She considered fighting destiny for an instant, if she didn't comply they couldn't seal him. If they didn't seal him maybe she could find a way...no, she knew that was foolish. He was lost to her now, lost to the world. This was the way it had to be. As she said it, it was destiny.

"**Six Sages, now!**"

The light around her grew larger, as did the glows from the other Sages, this was their part, the part where they ushered Ganondorf to his sentence in the Evil Realm. The Purple glow flared suddenly, suddenly feeling like someone had turned on a vacuum and it was sucking out her energy. A stream of violet light shot upward, joining with the other colors to create a great white ball of radiance above them.

...and, all she could think about was how she was never going to get to say goodbye.

"**Oh sealed door opened by the Sages...Close forever with the Evil Incarnation of Darkness within!**"

The white ball above them exploded in a brilliant burst of light, leaving only sprinkles of white energy falling like snow around them. The draining sensation stopped and all was quiet.

"Curse you..."

It was a quiet at first, like a whisper, but audible if one really strained. Obviously, she heard it, it wouldn't make sense for her not to. How else could she acquire that deep knot of regret? She knew who it was, she could recognize that voice anywhere, like the rumbling of thunder or the growl of a predator.

"Curse you, Zelda..."

Well, she guessed he had a minor right to be pissed. Everyone had kinda rained on his parade. He probably would have owned half the world right now if the sages and Link hadn't butted in. But, of course they did, and of course she was a member of them. Maybe, that only served to make him angrier, that she had the gall to betray him. It wasn't like she had a choice. She hadn't volunteered to be a Sage, the fates kinda just pushed it on her, like a sack of potatoes. No, like a sack of bomb flowers about the explode. Yes, that sounded about right.

"Curse you, Sages..."

Though, it wasn't like she could just say no. You don't say no to the Goddesses, no matter how much you don't want to do something. You say, okay, sure, why don't I bend over while I'm at it? So she did. Of course, she got stuck with the creepy temple, the one in a graveyard with hands crawling around it and a huge ass drum-playing ghost. Of course, that was her temple. She couldn't get the one in the middle of the nice, peaceful forest; hell, she would have been content with the one in the middle of the boiling hot volcano. But, as the fates had decided she was, once again, given the short straw.

"Curse you, Link..."

So, if it wasn't bad enough that her job entailed chilling out in the creepiest place ever to exist, she had to help Link. Now, it's not that she had anything at all against the kid, hell, she even liked him. But, she definitely didn't want to help him. It was fine for him to save Hyrule and kill Ganondorf on his own, well, not fine, but it would have made her feel better about it. But, no, she was charged with helping the kid by lending not only her powers, but eventually sealing away Ganondorf after the Hero of Time dutifully pummeled him. Not exactly her cup of tea. But, she did it anyway. She did it for Zelda, and Hyrule; she did it to save him from himself. It wasn't pleasant in the least, but she had sucked it up.

"_Curse you, Impa_..."

She gasped and everything around her stopped. All other sounds, all thoughts, all time. It was just her and those three words that she swore she had heard. She knew he didn't say them, she knew it was just her guilty conscious that she had no reason to have. She didn't betray him, he had betrayed her. He had promised...

The sages stood frozen with time around her, all wearing triumphant smiles. They knew they had won, they knew he was gone; they, also, had no reason to care. They didn't care if Ganondorf lived or died or was locked in some Dark World. They only cared about Hyrule, about their families, about their people. They cared about the things that good guys were supposed to care about. Good guys aren't supposed to care about the villain, it went against good guy nature.

But, she wasn't really a good guy now was she. Sure, she was dedicated to Zelda, but that was different. That wasn't because she was her princess, it was because she was like her daughter. No matters of race or alignment factored into that. Her oath sworn to her wasn't based on royalty, she would have sworn it if she was the daughter of a peddler. She swore to Zelda alone, because she was simply that...she was Zelda.

She wasn't bright and happy like the other Sages; she was sarcastic with a scathing sense of humor. Okay, maybe she hadn't always been that way, but as of late it seemed to be her new thing. If anything, she was the reluctant hero, only acting out of duty not desire. If circumstances were different she would have helped happily, but not now...not with the way things were.

Time picked up and the cheers of the others Sages erupted suddenly. It seemed that the last few words had been products of her imagination...or maybe they were only meant for her. Maybe, it was his way of saying goodbye, I hope I see you here rotting alongside me in a few years, you traitorous bitch. Oh yes, Ganondorf always had such a charming way of proving his affections.

Darunia slapped her on the back, a riotous laugh bubbling out of him. She forced a smile, which only seemed to be a pathetic excuse for the curving of lips, but he seemed to accept it as her way of joining in the celebration. Everyone was prancing around, even the dignified Ruto was jumping for joy. She wanted to join in, but she didn't have the heart to. She just wanted to scream, again.

She wanted to curl up into a little ball and die or something. Because, she didn't think she could wake up tomorrow with the cold realization that she would never see him again. She didn't think she could survive day to day without knowing that somewhere he was okay, plotting evil things, maybe even thinking about her. Because he wouldn't be, he wouldn't be ever again. It would always be just her and her memories.

But, in reality, that was what it had been for awhile wasn't it. Her remembering how great everything used to be, and falling in love with that memory time and time again. Even when he was taking over Hyrule, even when he was fighting against her and her compatriots. She remembered him and how glorious he was, so she forgave him. How could such a great person go sour? Why did her great person have to go sour?

She closed her eyes again, fighting back the tears that she knew had to be coming. She wouldn't cry; she wouldn't be the wet blanket on the greatest day in Hyrulian history.

Opening them again, she looked to the Sages who looked so happy. Breathing in and breathing out, she stepped forward towards them. Not ready to celebrate, not even wanting to be around people, but knowing that you don't always get what you want.

She'd eventually let him go, but not today, not tomorrow, maybe even not next year. But, someday she'd be able to let go of him and his glorious memory. But, for now she'd just have to settle with saying a fleeting goodbye.

A goodbye to the Great King of Evil, and to the King of Theives, and to the King of the Gerudo, as well as to that cocky, young Prince of the Gerudo, her friend and her lover.

* * *

**A/N: Oh man, I don't know if I'll continue this, but I decided it would be fun to start. Ganny just happens to be my favorite character and Impa just happens to be pretty cool. Yes, I know I took some liberties with her, but she didn't really talk all that much, so you can't really say she's not that way. :P So there. Anyhoo, if I do write anymore, It'll be a back story leading up to the ending. I probably will even I don't get any reviews, because I'm a nut ball. Anyhoo, if you like this please tell me so, if you don't…well be gentle, okay? First Zelda fan fiction, so be nice!**

**A special thanks to Galaxy Girl for the idea of smooshing these two poor souls together.**


	2. Chapter II

**As the World Falls Down**

_by: Starlight Sonata_

"_A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step_,"

- **Confucius**

* * *

The Sheikah and the Gerudo were friends. Okay, maybe not friends, but affable rivals in the very least. They were two sides of one coin with the female dominated Gerudo on one side and the male dominated Sheikah on the other. They'd banter and brawl nearly every night, but blows eventually turned to handshakes and hugs followed by drinking. If there were any two peoples in Hyrule who knew how to drink, it was the Gerudo and the Sheikah.

The two tribes were labeled as brother and sister by the rest of Hyrule, for that was how they acted. Though, she always thought they were more like an old married couple, always arguing but loving each other all the same.

She being Impa, daughter of Akhil, who was leader of the Sheikah. Despite the population being dominated by males, the Sheikah were unlike the Gerudo in the respect that females were born more frequently than every hundred years. Maybe, every twenty or so, a lucky Sheikah family would be blessed with a bouncing baby girl. So it happened that Akhil and Malika were blessed with such a thing, and they named that thing Impa. In the ancient language her name meant wise or cunning, as imps were referred to as one of the wisest of the goddesses creatures. Though as she aged, her more dominant traits reflected the less attractive traits of the imps. She was a royal terror, clumsy and ungainly, as well as a lover of tricks and pranks.

Yes, Impa was a walking tornado, but she was loved by her people all the same. She still possessed that wisdom and there was a subtle strength that rested deep within her. She would, hopefully, grow to be a proud Sheikah woman and honor them all.

However, as it was the present, Impa had very different thoughts on her mind.

Even though she was seen as a child to the Sheikah, she wasn't exactly one. In all actuality she was a teenager, but her people didn't quite know what to call the awkward and moody youth, so they just labeled them as children. This, of course, only served to frustrate them more and push them to do ridiculously foolish things, which would trigger the elders to, again, label them as children. So, the cycle continued and has since the beginning of time; the struggle between youth and elder.

Impa was the age of seventeen, that median age between full-fledged child and adult. Seventeen was probably the most awkward age of all, since so many urges were pulling at the teenager from so many sides. The desire to grow up, the desire to stay young. The urge to stem responsibility, and then the urge to shirk them to run and play with their friends. It was the age that began to shape their adult being, but didn't define it.

Seventeen was also the age of the Trial.

The trial was nothing official, quite the opposite actually. It was about as unofficial as unofficial could be. It was the teenage tradition of rebelling against the elders one final time. It was looked down upon by the adults, so obviously the teenagers grew more and more eager as the time for the Trial came about.

The Trial, of course, was not to be confused with the Ordeal. The Ordeal was the bridge between childhood and adulthood, completely official. It revolved around entering the Sacred Temple of Shadow and completing it. An easy enough task in explanation, but it was foolish to think so.

The Shadow Temple was perhaps the creepiest place on the entire face of the Earth. It manifested one's fears and weaknesses and threw them right back in the person's face. It was based on deception and horror, two things frightful enough on their own, but absolutely terrifying when placed together. The Ordeal was no laughing matter. It was quite possible to never come out of the Shadow Temple. Not every Sheikah who entered, returned. There were no guarantees in this trial, only uncertainties.

But, the Ordeal wasn't for quite some time, well, several months in reality, but that was forever to a headstrong teenager. Now, it was time for the Trial, basically the teenage parody of the Ordeal. Really, it was just a way for the teenagers to shake off their dread of the Ordeal. An inane test that had no tangible weight at all.

Though, in truth, there was some insubstantial weight. Those who passed the Trial gained respect from their peers. How one did it and how well one did it also mattered. It was a way of defining rank amongst the teenagers, a pecking order of sorts. So, taking that into account, there was some weight to the test after all. There was no life or death risk, and people who failed weren't turned into outcasts; but, it would still suck to be at the bottom of the food chain.

So, therefore, Impa had steeled herself to pass whatever test was thrown her way. She was the daughter of Akhil, being at the bottom of the pecking order would be a disgrace to her. She was either at the top or she was nowhere at all. If Impa was nothing else, she was determined...no, she was more stubborn as all hell. Once she had her head set to doing something, there was no changing her mind. She'd either do or die.

Which brings us to the matter at hand.

Impa was seated Indian style before a line of three boys. They were the eldest of all the children, practically eighteen and set to take their Ordeal's within a month's time. It was always the oldest who chose the trial, that's just the way it had always been.

They were in some dark, stinky cavern beneath Kakariko Cemetery. The rest of the children sat behind her a ways, all between the ages of ten and seventeen. It was a shame that they couldn't allow all the kids to come to the choosing of the Trial, but it wasn't certain that a child below the age of ten could keep a secret. The Cavern of Trials was protected by the silence of the children. Of course, this seemed to be a silly way of doing things as all children grow up eventually and become adults.

That was always odd, however, as once one reached the age of adult, they could never manage to remember where the meeting place was. Everyone said that the cavern was magical and once one reached a certain age its magic had no effect on them at all. Or maybe they just kept on with their silence. Maybe, they didn't approve but they knew it was an important part of growing up as Sheikah. But, that didn't make the kids any less wary. If they were ratted out then the adults would have a reason to stop them. They didn't want to give them that reason.

The cavern was relatively quiet, save for a few hushed whispers. Impa sat, amazingly quiet for once, waiting for her Trial. She was ready for anything they threw at her. A lot of the tests consisted of traveling somewhere and retrieving some proof of something and returning it to the test givers. Children had scaled Death Mountain, bringing back a spike of Darunia the Big Brother of the Gorons; or they had traveled to the Lost Woods to bring back a leaf from the Forest Temple. It was impossible to guess what the eldest would think up.

Therefore, she sat there, picking at the dirt that had somehow crept beneath her fingernails and waited. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait much longer, for before long one of the eldest cleared their throat. All noise ceased and all eyes focused on the apex of the room.

The middle one of the three stood, a boy named Barik, his hair dark and his eyes the customary crimson. He clapped his hands together three times, and on cue, the other two boys stood, Vance and Foran, twins with platinum blonde hair.

"Impa, daughter of Akhil, daughter of Malika, you have reached the age of seventeen years and the time has come for you to complete your Trial. Do you accept whatever fate has been given to you?"

Impa tried not to snort at their mock serious tones. She nodded her head in agreement, not able to stop a smile from curving her lips. This was what she had been anticipating for years now. A chance to prove herself, and a chance to get out of this damned village.

"Let it be known that Impa, daughter of Akhil, daughter of Malika, has accepted her challenge and all hardships that go with it," The room mouthed it agreement with a grunts of understanding. It was their way of safeguarding themselves if anything happened. Impa had accepted the challenge and if she, by some trick of fate, was injured she couldn't rat it out on the eldest. She'd have to make up her own story.

"Your trial, Impa, is to journey to the Valley of the Gerudo. You must sneak into the Fortress of Theives and bring back one of the King's jewels,"

Impa's trial elicited a few gasps from the group of children behind her, even Impa seemed to be shocked, as her eyes were wide and her mouth wide open. Were they absolutely insane? This was the craziest trial she had ever hear of, well, almost. She had heard about one trial where a Sheikah boy had to travel into the Fire Temple and bring back evidence of the demon dragon Volvagia. Needless to say, the boy returned far crispier than previous, but with no evidence in tow. Volvagia was just a legend, anyhow. The eldest had probably just not liked the boy. But, in her case...

It wasn't that she feared that harm would come to her, but...well, people didn't screw around with the King of the Gerudo. He was like their god; there was no way in hell she was going to be able to get near him, let alone take one of his jewels. He was guarded like a sacred treasure.

"You wish to forfeit, your trial?" Barik inquired, his blood red eyes gazing at her incredulously. She grumbled at his question, damn those boys, they did it on purpose. She was the daughter of the leader of the Sheikah, of course they would burden her with an outrageously difficult trial. It wasn't just that feeling of jealously she knew some of them possessed, it was mildly warranted. She couldn't be given some silly trial to Lon Lon Ranch to bring back some cow milk. She needed to prove herself.

"No, I accepted it, I will never forfeit," She said, steeling herself against the great challenge. She could do this. The Gerudo wouldn't kill her if they caught her. They might rough her up a bit, joke about how she was a clumsy Sheikah and send her packing on her way. There was no danger unless they thought she was a threat to their king. She'd just have to be careful about that.

She stood from her seat on the floor, chin up and eyes set in stone. The three before her nodded, motioning for her to make for the door. The crowd of children parted before her, and she walked, assuredly for once, through.

She paused in the entrance, the stars sparkling like diamonds in the night sky. Her eyes scanned them warily, asking them to give her strength.

Sucking in a deep breath and exhaling it the same, she stepped through the opening and into the Graveyard. She was expected to leave on the morrow, and she would do just that.

------------

One would think it'd be easy to find a desert. Its big, it's full of sand. How many places can something like that hide? However, it seemed that the Gerudo had found the perfect place to conceal themselves, as there was no trace of sand anywhere. Not a damn grain.

It had taken her nearly all day to find the road to the Valley of the Gerudo. All freaking day. She rode around blindly on her dappled mare, cursing herself for not bringing a map. After about the third circle around Lon Lon Ranch, she had finally spotted a dusty road near the castle.

It took her another twenty minutes, as she attempted to convince her mare to travel the orangey road. The obstinate creature refused, however, and left Impa to travel the path, as it quickly became darker and darker.. It was probably for the best, the horse would only attract more attention. But, now she was getting all dusty...

On the horizon the sun was practically set, something that Impa hadn't really wanted to happen. She had wanted to slip in unnoticed. The Gerudo were thieves, therefore she assumed they probably rested during the day and operated solely at night. So day time was her best shot. At least then some of the fortress would be sleeping, she could just steal the jewel, and then hightail it out of there. Well, looking on the bright side, at least now she'd have the cover of the shadows.

She swallowed hard, and quickened her pace. Get in, get the jewel, get out...get in, get the jewel, get out. That had become her mantra of the night, the one thing that kept her walking forward and not sprinting backward.

In next to no time, the fortress came into sight. It towered above her, a stone monolith, imposing and glorious in the orangey rays of the setting sun. Looking around, she spotted a ledge and quickly raised herself up on to it. From there she could see almost everything perfectly, there was even a handy boulder that she could hide behind.

A wide smile grew across her face, and she chuckled with delight. This wasn't going to be too hard after all. She had nothing to be worried about. The Sheikah were naturals at sneaking; she'd have no trouble slipping in unseen.

Blood red eyes surveyed the courtyard of the fortress where about ten Gerudo sentries patrolled. There were a few strolling about on the rooftops, as well, and probably countless more within its depths. Also, somewhere in there, was the King. Luckily for her, the only male Gerudo. He'd stick out like a sore thumb, she'd have no trouble finding him. The only hard part factored in when she'd have to actually get near him unnoticed.

A loud noise from the courtyard below pulled her from her thoughts. A couple of Gerudo women and some men, Hylian by their clothing, were laughing raucously as they walked through the courtyard. A few of them were stumbling about, as if drunk, and more were coming out behind them. Apparently, it was looking like there was some type of festivity going on inside the fortress. Perfect! Absolutely perfect! Now, everyone would be distracted. Things were just getting better and better.

That was until the boulder she had been leaning on, far too heavily, began to move. She didn't notice it at first, as it slowly began to inch forward. Being Impa and completely unmindful, she only leaned against it further more, attempting to get a better view of the courtyard. It was then the boulder decided it would be a good time to roll away. It rolled right out from under her, falling, extremely loudly on the ground beneath and rolling straight into the courtyard in front of her.

She gasped and dropped to the ground. The yelling from the courtyard stopped as everyone stared at the boulder. All of the guards on patrol turned toward the courtyard. Impa, peeking up, noticed that the way was actually clear. In a clumsy effort, she pulled herself from the ground and ran, like a bat out of hell, to the closest entrance.

She barreled through the door, not thinking that maybe there might be guards standing in the doorway. Luckily for the foolish Sheikah, the hallway that she happened to run into way devoid of any sign of life.

Impa stopped, her chest heaving with each gasp of air she took. She had never run that fast in her life; she'd also never been that nervous before either. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why didn't she notice that she was pushing the boulder over the side? Sure, it turned out to help her, but she could have been caught. What then? No way was she returning to Kakariko in shame. She'd either bring back that damn jewel or not go back at all.

She plopped down behind a bunch of crates, sure that the surprise from the amazing rolling boulder would end soon, and the guards would be back on patrol. They'd probably be extra cautious, too.

Oh well, its not like she could spend her time worrying about it. She was in the fortress, which had been one of her goals. So far, not too shabby.

She stood up and dusted the orangey dirt from her pants. Good thing, she'd opted for darker colors. With a combination of a tight black body suit with black boots and a over that tunic, in dark blue, she would be ready for anything.

Slowly she tiptoed down the hallway. Sounds of partying echoed throughout the halls, drowning out any sound she may have been making. It sure sounded like they were having one hell of a hoopla. She absently wondered what exactly they were celebrating.

It could have been one of their infamous mugging parties, where they ran around like wild animals, stealing from whatever poor soul came across their paths. But, from the presence of the Hylian men, she figured it was just some normal Gerudo bash. The ones where they lure unsuspecting men into their hideout, get them drunk, and then have a bit of fun with them. The Poor Gerudo, it was probably a rare day when they interacted with men...well, aside from the King, of course.

In the midst of her absent wondering she failed to noticed the footsteps that seemed to copy her own or the large shape that shadowed her footsteps. Well, its not that she failed to notice, for after a time, she did realize that her own footsteps didn't make a sound like that. They made a sound like only one pair of feet, not two.

Whirling around, she gazed down the hall behind. There was the flash of something black disappearing up the stairwell, but other than that there was nothing, nada. Not quite convinced, she pressed herself against the wall and shuffled closer to the stairwell. When she was close enough, she peeked around the corner, only to find nothingness staring back at her.

Maybe, she had just been imagining things. That boulder incident had managed to spook her quite a bit. But, to be on the safe side, she decided to be extra careful and stick to the shadows. Now, definitely wasn't the time to screw up.

Instead of continuing down the hallway, she opted to go up the stairs. She figured she'd have to search the place anyway, might as well start on a higher level and work her way down. The main level seemed to only consist of shrieking Gerudo women and hiccupping Hylian men, anyway.

She was nearly silent as she crept up the stairs, hugging the wall as she did so. The stairs were bare, so she'd be in a sticky situation if someone decided to come down them. Again, it seemed that luck was on her side as no one came down the stairs.

The second floor was a lot quieter than the last. The halls were dark, compromised of shadows and closed doorways. There was a faint light coming from down one of the hallways, but aside from that there was none.

She snuck into the hallway, still on her tiptoes. Looking both ways and determining that she was alone, Impa let her guard down. It seemed she was alone. Now was the time to do some exploring. Before her was a set of grand doors, which she figured lead to the throne room.

Walking forward, she gripped the handle and opened the door a crack. She peered around the corner, but was only met with darkness.

She sighed, no go in the throne room. She closed the door and turned back around. This wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. The man she assumed would stick out like a weed in a rose garden, wasn't sticking out at all. Now, she'd have to go around opening doors and praying to Din that no one caught her.

Turning right, she began down the passage. Every now and then she'd come to a door, which she would then open and peek into. Every time she was met with the same undesirable darkness. The further and further she got down the hallway, the more and more discouraged she got. Why would the King be upstairs by himself? He was probably downstairs, in the midst of the celebration, surrounded by a hundred Gerudo women. Man, she felt like an idiot.

She grumbled audibly, what she had thought was a blessing turned out to be a curse. There was no way she could get near him if he was surrounded on all sides. Maybe, she should give up and come back tomorrow.

Looking around she noticed she was at the end of the hallway. Before her were the two torches that she had noticed when she came up the stairs. Between the torches was a door, gilded with gold, not unlike the grand doors to the throne room. It was, also, the only place she hadn't checked yet.

She stepped forward and rested her hand on the knob. Testing it, she was delighted to find it was unlocked. With a deep breath she opened the door and peered inside.

In the corner of her sight was a candle, flickering weakly, placed on some bedside table. She could only make out the edge of ebon blanketing. The rest of the room was pretty empty. There was a wood desk in the corner, along with a large wood dresser. A burgundy carpet sat in the center of the room, with a black crescent moon and star inscribed upon it. The sign of the Gerudo. Whosever room this was, they were important.

Silently, she snuck into the room, leaving the door ajar if she needed to make a quick escape. As she stepped into the actual room, her breath caught in her throat. On the bed, sleeping like a baby, was a man...and he was green. Not like green as in sick, but green as in his skin was deep shade of olive green.

She cocked her head to the side, mystified at the sight of the lone male Gerudo. Almost clashing with his deep skin, a bright mane of flaming red hair rested atop his head. His face was strong, with a set jaw and a prominent nose. He wore a simple black (sleeveless, of course, he did live in the middle of the desert) tunic with a pair of loose black pants. Brown boots sat at the foot of the bed, along with a mass of black, brown, gray, and white clothing. It seemed he had hauled it all off in a hurry, or like most boys, didn't really care about the condition of his garments.

But, the thing that most caught her eye was the pile of jewels on the table, ranging from shape and size, from earrings to rings to bangles. Everything she needed and more, all she needed to do was grab one and make a run for it. She would have completed her task and respect would be hers.

Of course, Impa did nothing of the sort. Another jewel had caught her attention, it was a simple thing, a thin gold chain with a brilliant emerald pendant on the end. It was beautiful in its plainness and Impa knew that she had to have it. The only problem was that it was around the King's neck.

No one in their right mind would go for that jewel when there were so many others, completely accessible, on the table. But, Impa never claimed to be in her right mind. Not even once.

She slinked forward, quieter than a mouse. Her breath caught in her chest as she hovered above him, causing her to pause for a moment. Now that she could see him up close, it was odd, but there was some sort of exotic beauty to his seemingly harsh features. She wondered what color his eyes were.

Oh, they were orange, strange she always thought they'd be yellow...

Oh, shit...

Her eyes widened as the met his now wide open ones. They indeed were a shade of orange, like burning embers or the setting sun, and right now, they were staring at her with a strange look of glee.

In a moment of desperation and complete and utter stupidity, Impa gripped the chain and tore it from his neck. Thankfully, she then had enough common sense to start running like all hell. If she had maybe been smart and left the chain well enough alone she probably could have gotten away, but no, she had decided to walk on the wild side. Therefore, instead of getting closer to the doorway, she stopped short, her arm gripped by a very strong, very green hand.

"Gotcha!" He shouted with delight. His voice was deep, like the rolling of thunder or the growling of a predator. It made her stop in her tracks, her heart beating like a bird in a cage.

She was going to die, she had stolen from the King of Theives, and now she was going to die. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!

"Let go of me, you...you, big meanie!" She yelled, sounding more like a child having a temper tantrum than a girl demanding her freedom. An amused grin crossed his face, as he looked at her curiously.

"Big meanie?"

"You're hurting me!" She cried, trying to wrench herself free. In flurry of motion she flew backwards, her butt stinging like something nasty as it came in contact with the floor. In an instant she was scrambling towards the door, and in an instant the door slammed before her eyes. Oh, damnit...

"Please stay awhile. You tried so hard to get here, I wouldn't want all of your efforts to be in vain," He said with a brilliant grin, laughter dotting his voice.

Impa, of course, found absolutely nothing about the situation at hand amusing. She didn't want to die, not during the stupid Trial. It wasn't even a real test, it was a joke, a sham, and she had gone and failed it. If she couldn't even pass her Trial, how in Nayru's name was she supposed to pass her Ordeal? That was if she lived long enough to take her Ordeal...

Swallowing hard she looked up to the King of the Gerudo, her crimson eyes locking with his ember ones for a brief instant. For a second there she swore she saw a glint of amusement in his eyes, but how could she? He must be furious with her for snatching his necklace right off his body, no less for breaking into his fortress.

"I knew you were going to go for the necklace, you truly are reckless," He stated, a smirk taking the place of the grin that resided there before. Impa was struck by his words. How could he have know what she was going to do, none the less that she was there in the first place...unless he had...

"That was you! In the hallway downstairs, you were following me, weren't you?!" She shrieked, her hands slapping the ground beside her throbbing rump, her ruby eyes glittering with anger. She would be one unhappy camper if it turned out she had been playing the fool.

"It was. I was a bit curious as to what would bring a clumsy Sheikah girl to my fortress,"

She gasped, her eyes widening in alarm. It had been a trap set by him! The cape and the stairwell, the pile of jewels, the glittering necklace around his neck. Oh, Farore, she felt like a bleeding idiot. He hadn't only played her for the fool, but he had done it exceptionally well.

"No! That's not fair! I snuck by your guards!" She whined, as she jumped from the ground.

"True, your...interesting display in the courtyard did manage to distract the sentries outside. Though, it also served to draw my attention," He replied with a smirk. Cocky bastard, she wanted to spit. It wasn't fair. She had been so sure that no one was following her. She knew none of the female Gerudo has seen her; she hadn't gotten near enough to any of them for that to happen.

She hadn't anticipated being followed anyway, so she hadn't been all that cautious. She had planned that if anything had gone wrong, it would have been that someone would have spotted her. Certainly, she hadn't expected to be outwitted by the King, himself.

She crossed her arms and released a drawn out sigh. He really got her, the sneaky bastard. Oddly enough though, that was more of a good thing, now that she thought about it. True, it would be harder to get away with the necklace, but now she wouldn't have to worry about battling a couple hundred Gerudo warriors just to get to the king. He had come to her on his own accord, which also meant she hadn't pissed him off too much. Though, she had to admit that it royally sucked to be outwitted by a large male.

Her options were also drastically limited; she'd have to be extra sneaky to wiggle her way out of this one.

"Well, gosh, you got me! I guess, I'll just be going now," She stated in her most nonchalant voice. Turning, she grabbed for the handle, but once more found the door would not budge. Upon looking up, she noted that his large hand still held the door steadfast. Okay, what else did could this guy possibly want with her?

"You seem to be in my way..." He snorted at that, a chuckle following. All right, even she could understand how someone could find this situation amusing, but this guy was really taking it too far. True, he probably didn't get out that much, but really. There had to be funnier things than messing around with a Sheikah girl.

"Yes, I noticed that too..." He replied, his voice still thick with mirth.

She resisted the urge to growl out loud and heaved in a deep breath instead. He was blatantly toying with her and it was starting to grate on her nerves. She turned slowly, her hands coming to rest upon her hips in defiance. He was grinning at her again, broad like a cheshire cat. Something in that look, that blatant triumph scrawled across her face, made Impa's blood boil. There was a degree of toying the girl could handle, and the Gerudo King had gone way, way past the line. She was the daughter of Akhil, not some flighty, stupid Hylian who might find his ploys somewhat charming. Therefore, she would not, could not stand for this treatment!

She, of course, completely disregarded the fact that she had just blatantly stolen from him. That wasn't important.

"Okay, what is your problem!? You've had your fun, now either kill me or let me leave!" She demanded, resisting the urge to stomp her foot. His amusement only seemed to grow at her outburst, as he exploded into laughter at her words. Her red eyes narrowed to slits at his reaction, suddenly feeling like she really didn't like this guy.

After a few moments, his laughter died down to an occasional chuckle. But the mirth remained resolute in his eyes as he regarded her keenly.

"Relax, Sheikah, I'm not going to kill you,"

"My name is Impa, not Sheikah," She snarled, her hands clenching into fists. She swore to herself, if he hadn't been king she would have clocked him one. No one laughed so casually at Impa.

"And my name is Ganondorf, it's a pleasure to meet you," He said extending his hand in greeting. Surprised, she gazed down at his hand. Wasn't it a little late for introductions; they had already been bantering for about ten minutes now. And did he say his name was...what, Ganondorf? She resisted the urge to snort. That definitely had to be the most ridiculous name she have ever heard. Nevertheless, her anger seemed to melt slightly at the sheer absurdity of it all, and she conceded to shake his hand.

"Your name is funny," She stated simply. His eyes widened at her words, perhaps, it was the first time that anyone dared to say as much.

"So is yours," He replied, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Well, your skin is green," At that the glint vanished and his eyes narrowed.

"It's deeply tanned," He grumbled, "Besides you have weird tattoos all over you, I don't think you're one to talk."

Impa released a giggle at that. Okay, maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as bad as she first thought. But, he **had** scared the hell out of her and she definitely didn't like being outsmarted, especially by a guy. On the other hand, he hadn't threatened her in anyway, if anything, he seemed to be enjoying the fact that she was there. She wasn't sure if it was her company or that she was simply someone to pull amusement from, but either way it seemed that he was in a good mood. Good moods and kings were always a good combination. She might actually have a chance of surviving until her Ordeal, now.

"Well, I really appreciate you not flipping out on me and all, but I really should go now," Impa stated, knowing full well that she was dodging the fact that she had just stolen from him. But, on the other hand, she wanted to get home before her father started to worry about her. The last thing she needed was a good telling off when she got home from her father, the night had been eventful enough already.

"Oh? Is that right? Did you really think you could just barge into my fortress and leave with my things?" He asked, crossing his arms.

She had to admit that he had her there. He was correct, of course, she didn't have a right to take his things. Not that she cared, though. She needed the jewel way more than he did. Besides, it looked funny on him. The necklace was girly and he...well, he wasn't girly.

"I bet it isn't even yours, anyway," She finally responded, not quite believing that had actually come out of her mouth. She had meant to say that she needed the jewel, but no, her foot decided to insert itself in her mouth instead. Though, thinking back on it, she did have a point. It probably was stolen, as the Gerudo just happened to be a band of thieves.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He raised an eyebrow at her, ember eyes glittering at her verbal challenge.

"Well, if you stole it and got to keep it, then the same goes for me. I stole it fair and square, so its mine," Impa crossed her arms, and smirked right back at him. Ganondorf's eyes widened considerably at her twisted form of logic, but he still didn't seem to grow angry at her. Farore, the guy was nearly unflappable.

"You're quite a cheeky girl, has anyone told you that?"

"Every damn day," He laughed at that, a rich sound, now that she was actually paying attention. He had one of those deep laughs, the one where the person gets so rapped up in delight that they throw their head back in abandon.

She decided then that she did not just think that Ganondorf, King of Thieves, was just okay. Actually, she decided that she liked him. On further thought, the guy reminded her a lot of herself. Sarcastic, but still able to laugh about the lighter things in life. Nobody that was like herself could be all that bad, even if they were green.

His laughter faded and they were surrounded by silence. He was looking at her again with those curiously colored eyes, and suddenly, like being struck by lightening, she felt wildly awkward. It was a strange rush of emotion. The sudden realization that she was standing, inches apart, from the King of Thieves, alone at that. It was like getting a load of potatoes thrown at your head, or maybe getting punched in the face.

If Impa hadn't been an awkward teenager, she would have been able to reason out that her girly side was battling to take control. The side that blushed when a man unashamedly stared at her or paid her more attention than was strictly necessary. The side that she zealously attempted to suppress whenever it struggled to be free from its chains. Even now, she could feel the sweep of red brushing across her cheeks. Okay, now it was time to go before she started giggling like a fool.

"Er...well, it's getting late..." She said slowly, cursing herself for stumbling over her words. Just minutes before she had been just fine with insulting him, now she found it hard to even look at him, no less talk to him.

His gaze left her for a moment, to glance out the window. The sky outside was primarily dark, but if one gazed hard enough they could make out the traces of light on the horizon.

"Yes, it is,"

Silence once more dominated the room, and Impa found it to be suffocating. Why couldn't she stand still?

"I probably should go..." she stated, followed by more awkward fidgeting.

"You probably should,"

She sighed, mildly frustrated at the fact that he wasn't making this easier for her. Why couldn't he just tell her to leave? Then she'd have no problem walking out that door behind her. But, no, instead he left it up in the air, for her to mull over and decide on her on. Ugh, boys were way too complicated.

"Okay, then..." She turned around, walking slowly, **very** slowly towards the door. Gripping the doorknob tightly, she turned it and pushed open the door.

"Um...goodbye then," She said, glancing over her shoulder. He was still looking at her with a strange expression on his face; an expression that made her breath catch and her hands sweat. It was amazing how much intensity he managed to pack into a simple gaze. She had a feeling that no matter what way he looked at someone, he eyes would always be piercing, always powerful.

"Goodbye," He said slowly, a smile quirking the edge of his lips. Her mouth moved as if to thank him, but no words came out. She shook her head slightly, and turned again and walked out.

When she was about halfway down the hall, she ran.

* * *

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**A/N: Yay! I'm having an inspiration burst, so I'm gonna go with it and just keep pushing out with this story! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It's always great to see that people actually enjoy reading what I'm writing. This chapter is a lot longer, which is surprising. Anyhoo, the next chapter is in the works already. I got a plot summary all written up, so I actually have somewhere to go with this story. Needless to say, you poor readers are in for a bumpy ride.**

**I'd, also, like to say now that I'm taking a lot of liberties with this story. For one, I'm gonna assume the Sheikah and Gerudo have a longer lifespan than Hylians do. Why? Because, I'm mean and I want to make the characters suffer longer! Haha!! Actually no, that's not it, but nothing official says that they have the same lifespan, so I can do whatever I want! Oh, and just so all of you know, this is before the Great War. Hehe, just a heads up. **

**Anyhoo, keep reviewing if you find what I write reviewable. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter III

**As the World Falls Down**

_by: Eastbrook_

"_When it is dark enough, you can see the stars_."

- Charles A. Beard

* * *

It was nearly past sunset; the sky was painted a soft shade of purple with the faint twinkling of stars visible to those who looked hard enough. Torches flared around her, orange flames dancing exotically in the cool, summer breeze. A shiver danced up her spine, despite her best efforts to quell it.

She stood, as stiff as an stick, well at least she was supposed to be. She resembled a stock of grass more than a stick, but for Impa that definitely was a feat. Her attire consisted of little more than a tunic and leggings, with a simple leather cord used to cinch the waist. No weapons adorned her belt and no quiver hung upon her back. She was completely unarmed and unequipped, leaving her feeling pretty much naked.

Well, truthfully, she wasn't totally unadorned. Around her neck hung a simple golden necklace with an emerald pendant. For some odd reason, one she couldn't quite explain, she hadn't wanted to take it off. The elders had frowned upon her keeping the unnecessary article on, but she had merely told them the clasp was broken and she didn't want to break it. They had grumbled a bit, but eventually conceded after making sure there was no magic instilled in the object.

She fumbled with the pendant idly, as she tried to keep her eyes focused ahead of her. It was hard though, as the more she stared forward, the more and more nervous she got, and the more nervous she got, the more and more she tended to fidget which was exactly what she wasn't supposed to be doing. Reverent and still, that was what her father had told her to be. Too bad, he had forgotten that his daughter had ants forever crawling about her pants. It was about as easy for her to stay motionless as it was to get the Gerudo to wear dresses.

A gravelly voice was speaking behind her, reading words from some ancient text that she couldn't understand. The words seemed to melt into the night air and echo into the sky, only to bounce back at her from all angles. She strained to understand the spoken jargon, but it was all lost on her. She really should have paid more attention during Shelia's lessons.

After returning from the desert, and after being thoroughly scolded by her father for running off and not telling him where she was going, she was swept up in the flurry that was preparing for her Ordeal. Though, it wasn't for quite some time, her father felt that Impa needed a little additional training to get her through the Temple. She was, of course, insulted at the mere suggestion of incompetence, but her father would hear none of it. Mind, body, and soul had to be working together in harmony to lead her successfully though the Shadow Temple, and by thunder, she was going to be the most harmonized Sheikah ever.

Three lessons, six days a week, eighteen hours a day. That left her with six hours each night to do as she pleased, which meant she would instantly collapse on her bed and lapse into unconsciousness. It wasn't like her marathon of training really left her with the desire to do anything else but slip into oblivion.

The three lessons consisted of mind, with Sheila, who just happened to be Barik's mother, and the most nitpicky woman on the face of the earth. Shelia was a corpulent woman with violently red, curly hair and thick hands, which she would utilize readily if she thought Impa wasn't paying complete and total attention to every syllable that slipped from her mouth. Body with Akhil, who also just happened to be her father, as well as leader of the Sheikah. He was a stern man, with a severe precision complex when it came to the art of fighting. There was only perfect in his fighting vocabulary, not okay, not good, not even great. Only perfect, and if it wasn't perfect it wasn't anything, and if it wasn't anything then she had to do it over and over until it was something. Needless to say, after awhile it became rather tedious as she had to guess what his vision of perfect was, because he always forgot to fill her in on that one little detail. Lastly and certainly least was soul, with Old Matron Ratha, who was probably the most boring woman to ever exist on the face of the planet. She just sat here, Indian style, eyes fluttering and hands rested peacefully in her lap. She spoke in a horribly monotone voice that made Impa want to space out at even the thought of it. All they ever did was sit there and pray or something. Impa wasn't really sure. Ratha would chant something in Ancient Sheikah and Impa would mumble it back to her, since she hadn't been paying attention in Shelia's lessons, so she really didn't know any ancient Sheikah at all.

Basically, it was just a big mess and Impa was enormously glad it was all over with. That was until she remembered that it wasn't all over with. Not in the least. The tedious part may be over, but the hardest lay ahead of her. The Shadow Temple, a dark and forbidding place, full of dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, still lay ominously ahead of her.

She sucked in a breath, attempting to be quiet, but not really succeeding. Not that anyone was paying attention to her anyway. The rest of the Sheikah were all spellbound with the words spoken by the man behind her. That man being her father. This was the part where he told the story of the Shadow Temple or was it the part where he spoke of the responsibilities of an adult Sheikah? She couldn't quite remember and since she couldn't understand what he was saying, there was no way for her to find out.

After a few more minutes his words ended and silence fell upon the graveyard once more. Weird place to have any ceremony that isn't a funeral, now that she thought about it. But, the silence was her cue, and she pushed those silly thoughts out of her head.

Swallowing hard, Impa turned to her father and dropped down on one knee. His large, calloused hand gripped her hair lightly, as he read dialogue from the Book of Mudora, an ancient Sheikah manuscript. For once in her life, Impa didn't move at all. She just knelt there, knowing fully well that the Ordeal was no joke. This wasn't something she could just screw up. She had to pass or she would be dishonored or dead. Of course, the Sheikah always felt that dishonor was a far worse punishment in comparison to death. Impa, on the other hand, didn't care for either, so she rather it not come down to a choice between the two.

His gruff voice died off after finishing the dialogue, and he motioned for Impa to rise. She then turned her back to the cave and looked toward her people. They all raised their hands to the sky and said something in the Ancient Language. Something like "Go with honor, return with wisdom," or something along those lines. Again, Impa hadn't really paid any mind. But, as she returned her attention to the entrance, she was kinda wishing that she had…

Her father repeated the saying to her, hand clasping her shoulder tightly. She looked at him, her crimson eyes locking with his own. There was a flash of compassion, hidden in their depths, but it was gone quicker that it had appeared. He then nodded to her and motioned towards the entrance.

Impa sucked in as much air as she could possibly manage and then heaved it out. This was it, this was the point of no return. She didn't chance a glance back, knowing it was probably against protocol anyway.

Squaring her shoulders, she stepped forward towards the cave, and within moments, she was swallowed up by the blackness. Ah, did she mention she hated the dark? No? She wished she had a torch or a candle or anything actually. Anything that emitted enough light to stand a chance against the suffocating black that surrounded her.

She couldn't even see the stairwell that she was walking down, all she knew was that the stairs were indeed there. She began down them slowly, trying desperately not to panic. She reached her arms out, only to find nothingness on both sides and no banister. Figured, of course. Well, she'd have to take it slowly, it would suck to fall down the stairs and crack her head open before she even got into the temple.

She continued down the stone stairway bit by bit, the air growing cooler and staler the further down she traveled. A slight shiver traveled up her spine, and Impa wrapped her arms around her middle. Though, truth be told, she couldn't be certain if the shiver was from the cold or the atmosphere of the place.

The air reeked, it smelled kinda like Barik's socks after he had worn them for awhile. But, the atmosphere, man, if anything in Hyrule was creepier than this place, she really didn't want to see it. She could feel the death lingering in the air, weighing it down. It really was odd, that even though the air was cool, it still felt humid. Beads of cold sweat were beginning to form on Impa's brow, and she hadn't even reached the temple entrance yet.

Fortunately, after walking for a minute or so more, the stairwell began to lighten. Before her, in a large cavernous room, there were about a hundred or so torches, all lit and flickering wickedly. On top of that, inscribed upon the floor in consecutive circles, was, what she was guessing, Ancient Sheikah writing. She be damned if she actually knew what they said, but they seemed to glitter oddly in the lamplight, as if magic was infused in the ancient scrawl.

Impa stared around in wonder, her crimson eyes glistening in the firelight. Who'd have thought there would be something this cool in the Temple of Uber Creepiness. Her lips quirked at that thought. But, they stopped when her focus once more returned to straight ahead of her.

The entrance to the Shadow Temple loomed before her. It was dark, obviously, hence the Shadow Temple title. It was also large, and ominous, and menacing and creepy and sinister and every other synonym to those words. There were no more steps, thank Nayru, but there was that same overpowering blackness that had resided quite thickly on the stairs. She grimaced. It didn't really look like there was any lighting in there at all. Now, that just would not do.

She turned back around and stepped over to one of the torches. Come on, there were at least a hundred of them, it probably wouldn't matter if she took just one. She'd even bring it back after she was done. Okay, no that was a lie. There was no way in hell she was coming back in here if she managed to complete her Ordeal. She'd have Barik, or one of the twins bring it back. She'd just have to question their masculinity and they'd come leaping in here happily.

Breathing in deeply, Impa gripped the nearest torched and pulled. And pulled…and pulled again. Nothing. It didn't even budge an inch. She groaned and let go. That wasn't something she had been expecting. She looked around, hoping to see a stick or something, anything that she could possibly light on fire to provide some light. Again, nothing. Damn whoever cleaned this place.

She pawed at the wood again, trying to see if there was something she could work with. It seemed normal enough, and knocking on it produced a dull, hollow sound. Maybe, she could break it? Was that against the rules? She glanced at the thick darkness that lingered beyond the entrance and realized she didn't even care. There was no way in hell she was going in there without a light.

She braced the torch with two hands, one near the top and one closer to the bottom, and the proceeded to place her foot between the two. Farore, she hoped this worked. Sucking in another breath, she pulled her foot back and kicked the shaft with all her might. A loud crack was her reward, as the torch snapped in two, leaving a splintered stick sticking from the ground.

"Hah!" She cried, raising the torch triumphantly above her head. Unfortunately, her victory was cut short by a low rumbling.

She leapt away from the now broken torch and looked around frantically. The ground was vibrating slightly and the noise only continued to get louder. What in the name of the three goddesses was going on? The noise seemed to be coming from one of the walls, but it was impossible to tell which. The ancient writing below her flickered slightly and then suddenly went out completely. That probably wasn't good.

One by one, the torches around her started going out, slow and first and then picking up speed. Impa watched in terrified wonder, not quite sure how to react. It wasn't until she realized that the door to the Shadow Temple was lowering, and beginning to pick up speed that she shot into action.

Steadying her grip on her new torch, she ran for the doorway and slid underneath. She whirled around, watching as the final torches disappeared from view as the door slammed shut. Dust spewed out, hitting her full on in the face and launching her into a coughing fit. She dropped the torch and furiously scrubbed at her eyes as the coughing subsided and the previously loud rumbling faded into silence.

After a few minutes, when she finally managed to rub most of the dust out of her eyes, she opened them hesitantly. She released a breath, when she saw the torch still flickering on the ground. That could have seriously sucked.

She picked up the precious light and finally took a minute to take in her surroundings. Actually, it probably would have been a better idea to do that right away…

The room was big and, thankfully, empty. It was cave-like in appearance, with dull brown walls and a limitless ceiling that faded into nothingness. A few tunnels shot off from the room leading into, you guessed it, blackness. Impa stared up in awe at the ceiling, wondering just how far up it went. It couldn't be that far since the temple was underground, but then again, anything was possible.

See the thing about the Shadow Temple was that it manifested one's deepest fears. So there was a great deal of magic that went into the whole thing. Impa's fear of the dark was an obvious factor in the whole thing, since everything was…well, dark. She lucked out with the torch, which staved off that fear. However, the temple didn't just manifest a person's known fears, but their subconscious ones, as well. All that added to a heap of trouble, but she seemed to have an edge so far.

Impa swallowed hard and took a few steps forward. There were five tunnels in all, all perfectly identical. Shrugging her shoulders, she started off down the first one. Might as well, she could always turn around if it didn't work out.

Well, it seemed that four out of the five tunnels didn't quite work out, all leading straight into dead ends. This served only to annoy Impa to no end and she stalked down the fifth tunnel only to find that that too was a dead end. She whipped around and stormed back into the main room. This wasn't funny at all. She was stuck in the first room. Maybe, she had triggered something by pulling out the torch. The rumbling had been awfully loud. She could be stuck in here, with no way out. Would they come look for her if she didn't come out? No, no they wouldn't. They'd just assume she had died and leave her here to rot. Her father would probably disown her and her mother would let him! Not only would she die of starvation in this stupid temple but she'd be written out of the books, as well.

She let out a whimper and sank to the floor. This was horrible. She should have paid more attention during all those lessons. Maybe, something they had said could have helped her. That old crack Ratha had probably given her the solution during one of her unintelligible chants and Impa hadn't paid enough attention during Shelia's lessons to make any word of it. It was all her fault that she was going to rot. There was….

…there was a disembodied hand climbing up her leg. She screamed loudly and leapt from the floor. The tiny hand fell off her leg and landed on it…well, it's back on the ground. It flipped upward and stopped moving. Impa stared down at it in complete shock. What the in Din's name was that thing? Where had it come from? She looked around, checking to see that there were a thousand more of those things wandering around. There wasn't. There was just that one little, purple hand just sitting there.

"Um, hello?" She said, hesitantly. The hand twitched a little.

"Hi…little hand, do you, um, well, do you know how to get out of here?" The hand didn't move and most certainly didn't respond. Stupid Impa, what the hell did she thing it was going to do, talk back?

She nudged it with her foot and, suddenly, it gripped her ankle. Hard. She screamed again and shook her leg. The hand flew off and slammed into the wall, dissipating into ashes.

That was weird. She walked toward the wall and stared at the remains on the ground. What was she supposed to do now? She turned away from the wall, confused and a little spooked. Only to come face to face with another hand. Except this hand wasn't tiny. No, this hand was freaking huge. Freaking huge and it was coming straight for her.

Impa ran, choosing a tunnel at random and racing down it. She looked over her shoulder, seeing the giant hand gaining on her. This was bad, this was very, very…

Impa tripped over something and was sent hurtling toward the floor. She flipped over just in time to see a door slam shut behind her and metal bars slide down across it. Well, now if that wasn't sheer dumb luck, she didn't know what was. She could hear the hand scratching at the other side of the door in vain and she laughed triumphantly.

"Hah! What are you going to do now, huh?" She jumped up and yelled through the door. Feeling quite pleased with herself, she turned around to inspect the new room. Apparently, one of the dead ends had been a ruse. Sneaky temple. The room was another cave, round and much smaller, though, and adorned with four torches. Since she had abandoned her own torch in her fervor, she was a bit relieved to see that this place did have some light. Thank the goddesses.

There was a door directly across from her. Save for that and the torches there was nothing else in the room. Impa eyed the door wearily. She'd been nonchalant before, but those disturbing hands had spooked her thoroughly. After staring at the door for a few minutes, she deemed that it wasn't going to attack her. She walked across the room and reached for the handle. Just at that moment several bars, identical to other door's slid across it.

Uh-oh. That could not mean anything good. She turned slowly, fully expecting to see an even bigger hand poised to smoosh her into a little Sheikah pancake, but there was nothing. Just the sound of the flickering torches. Of course, that served only to scare her more. She took a cautious step away from the door, when she felt a strange pinching sensation near her foot.

Another hand. It was little, like the other one, except this one was white. Impa shook her leg furiously, poising to obliterate it to ashes like the other one. The hand pulled from the ground reveling a sallow arm sticking out from the ground. This, of course, led to more screaming and violent leg shaking. The arm finally let go, sending Impa careening backwards into something rather cushy. The cushy thing screamed loudly, sounding far too much like a million babies screaming.

Impa covered her ears and stumbled forward. She dodged a reaching white hand and braced herself against the wall. Quickly, she turned around. She instantly wished she hadn't. The most disgusting thing Impa had ever seen was slithering towards her. It looked like a giant mutilated snow man, oozing with white puss and blood with bulging black eyes. Oh, and Farore, did it smell!

Impa gagged and pressed herself against the wall. Okay, okay, don't panic. Panicking will not help anything. The nasty snowman was slowly getting closer and the smell was soon overpowering her. She had to get to the other side of the room. Quickly, she began to slide along the wall towards the other side. More white hands broke through the ground, reaching, groping for her. The gross snowman turned slowly, bubbling and farting as it did so. She retched and scanned the room. There had to be something, anything to save her from a nasty and slimy death.

The thing was getting close again and Impa scooted along the wall, suddenly crashing against something hard. The torches! She grabbed at the wall torch and yanked. Thankfully, this one was not rooted to the wall and came off easily. Without even pausing, she hurled it at the thing.

It screamed again, it's flesh beginning to sizzle. Gradually, it melted into a large white puddle of absolute grossness and was absorbed into the ground. The white hands slithered back into their holes, as they closed over them. The bars over the doors slipped back into the walls, leaving both entrances free.

Impa released a sigh and slid down the wall. Okay, yeah, so that was absolutely disgusting. The stench still lingered in the air and the ground was still damp. Wait, there was something there. In the center of where the puddle was, was a quiver of arrows.

She stared at it curiously, half expecting it to be a hallucination. She pushed off from the ground and walked over. No, it was still there, complete with about fifteen arrows. Impa nudged it with her foot. It certainly felt like a normal quiver of arrows. She scanned the room once, before she quickly scooped it up. Nothing happened, no rumbling, no creepy hands, not giant blob of nastiness. Thank Din.

She slung the quiver over her shoulder and looked around for the bow. It was no where to be seen. Well, that was wildly inconvenient. It would be a little awkward stabbing at things with just arrows. Then again, she really shouldn't be complaining.

Deciding she was quite done with this room, she walked toward the door. Tentatively, she reached for the handle. No bars, nothing. She turned it and opened the door. Stretched out before her was an enormous cavern. A pathway curved through craggy rocks, to a docking area. A rather dodgy looking river flowed past leading to only Nayru knows where. There was a huge ship docked, complete with a sail. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder.

Impa warily followed the path, occasionally stopping to look all around her. She was definitely through with getting attacked by creepy hands. Once was enough for any sane human being, two was most certainly pushing it, a third time might just throw her over the edge.

Finally, she reached the boat. Staring up at it, she still didn't know quite what to make of it. However, there didn't seem anywhere else to go. She definitely wasn't backtracking.

She pulled an arrow out of her quiver and readied it in her head. Cautiously, she tiptoed up the gangplank. She leapt onto the boat and spun around, arrow brandished. Nothing again. All this nothing was starting to make her extremely nervous, but maybe, just maybe, she was passed the hardest part.

She sighed and lowered her arrow, but did not put it back in the quiver. There was no telling what was lurking on the boat. Hesitantly, she walked toward the front of the ship. The wheel was big and awkward looking. Then, of course, Impa realized she had no idea how to maneuver a boat. She walked over and gripped the wheel, turning it all the way to the left and then all the way to the right. The ship did not move, it didn't even make a noise. It just sat there, rocking in the water. She kicked the wheel, hit the wheel, pulled and pushed on the wheel. Still nothing.

She angrily looked up at the sail, which was hanging limply. What in Farore's name was she supposed to do now? She kicked the wheel again, just for measure. Something clicked, very loudly, and the boat jolted forward. Impa fell against the wheel, as the boat propelled itself forward. The sails billowed out in an nonexistent wind.

Okay, weird. But, she wasn't going to complain. At least, the ship was moving. She stepped to the edge of the boat and peered over the edge. The water was the color of rust and stained the bottom of the boat. She grimaced and stood up straight. This was just too weird. The tunnel before her was dark, but she could make out hulking shapes near the walls. She backed up and went back to the wheel. Goddesses, she just wanted this to end.

When she thought of her Ordeal she hadn't imagined anything ever remotely close to this. She hadn't really known what to think, but this certainly was not it. Of course, in her own mind, she liked to think it wasn't going to be as hard as everyone said. That was the cocky side of her. She had wanted to whip through this thing in record time and blow everyone way. Judging by the amount of time she spent in the first room, that idea was nothing but a distant dream. It didn't even look like she was going to get out of here anytime in soon. It's not like there was a gleaming sign that declared she was nearing the end.

The boat lurched suddenly and Impa was thrown against the wheel again. Adequately shaken from her thoughts, she looked up. The river continued on before her, but the boat had stopped in another giant cavern. There was a similar dock to the side that led to another path. However, this time she couldn't see where the path led, it disappeared down another dark tunnel.

Impa sighed and pushed away from the wheel and turned to walk down the gangplank. There was a small purple hand standing in her way. Impa shot forward with speed she hadn't expected from herself and impaled the hand. It shuttered and frittered away into ashes. A sly smile slid across her lips. That was too easy. Maybe, she was starting to get the hang of this. She started down the gangplank, a slight swagger to her hips. That was until she heard a strange scratching noise behind her. She froze on the gangplank and glanced over her shoulder.

Dozens, no, there were at least fifty, of giant hands were skittering over the opposite edge of the boat and making a beeline straight for her. She didn't scream this time, she just ran. She ran like Din's holy wrath was at her heels, not really caring where the path led because at least it led away from all those creeping, crawling hands.

Eventually, the end of the path came into sight. A doorway stood in front of her, lit by two purple-flamed torches. Impa didn't stop to consider how weird it was that the flames were purple, she just barreled into the room. The door slammed shut like she had hoped and solid metal bars snake across it. Yes, she was the luckiest woman ever to live.

She leaned forward and rested her palms on her thighs, suddenly appreciating all the grueling practices her father put her through. After a few seconds, she shot straight up, surprised there wasn't a gross snowman sliming down her neck. The room was just like the gross snowman room, round, small, and lit by torches. However, like the torches leading into this room, the flames were purple in hue. That instantly put her on edge.

There was no door at the other side. Instead, in the center of the room was a pedestal with a large, shiny bow placed nicely upon it. Impa perked up, excited to finally have some way of more effectively using her arrows.

She took the remaining few steps to the center of the room and snatched up the bow. When her fingers curled around the smooth wood, she immediately regretted her haste. She just knew something bad was going to happen.

Of course, she was right. The ground opened up beneath her and she fell. She fell into a deep blackness, with air so thick that it swallowed her screams and beat against her. She closed her eyes against the cold darkness and willed herself anywhere else. Din, she'd rather listen to Shelia drone on about Gorons and Zoras and Kokiri and everything else, or her father berate her, or Barik ridicule her, or having him laugh at her. Him with his strange green skin and violently red hair. Those ember eyes smoldered inside her mind and suddenly she felt calm. She could feel the light weight of the golden necklace around her neck and she let go.

She hit the ground and bounced. Once, twice, until her weight finally anchored her. It was cushy. Impa didn't like cushy. The last time she felt cushy, she was almost slimed to death. However, this time, it seemed a lot more harmless.

She was situated in the center of a large purple circle. It was soft, stretchy feeling. It actually reminded her a little of the face of a drum. The rest of the room was bathed in thick blackness. All right…she was almost afraid to think of what she had to do next.

Her new bow had fallen a few feet away. She smiled at it. It really was a beautiful weapon. She crawled over and picked it up. There was ancient Sheikah script scrawled across the polished surface. She'd have to think of a clever way to trick Shelia into telling her what it meant.

Suddenly, the shine on the surface darkened and a shadow loomed over her. She swallowed. Oh Din, not again.

She rolled out of the way just as a massive purple hand slammed down, causing the surface to bounce back at her. She fell again, only to have another massive hand smash down next to her, sending her flying back in the opposite direction. And she had been starting think things couldn't get much worse than the horde of creeping hands.

The hands raised themselves again, but paused in mid-air. She leapt to her feet at the opportunity, and steadied herself on the reverberating surface. Out of the blackness, a massive figure emerged. It was a disembodied figure, no arms, no face really, just a torso with a long neck. At the end of the neck, it looked like a giant flower bloom. Impa blinked up at the thing, once again wanted to be absolutely anywhere else. Slowly, the giant flower things bloomed, the deep purple curled back, revealing a enormous, unblinking red eye. Oh yes, she'd happily eat Barik's socks for a year. No, two.

The eye glared down at her, at least she assumed it was, since it was pointed in her general direction. There didn't seem to be any pupil really, so she couldn't be exactly sure. Not that it really mattered, she was on a giant drum about to get crushed by two immense hands, for Farore's sake. That eye could start singing for all she cared.

The hands lowered themselves again and slowly began banging on the drum. Impa was thrown back. Thus began the great dodging game. The hands would slam down and Impa would quickly roll out of the way. This, of course, quickly became tiring and she became exceedingly dizzy.

After a while, Impa miscalculated and didn't roll quite in time. The hand crashed into her back and sent her flying off the drum. She expected to fall into nothingness, again. However, instead she connected with the ground. She had never been happier to have a brushed side before. The hands continued their merry banging on the drum, as Impa steadied herself on the solid ground. The great eye monitored the hands and suddenly a brilliant idea dawned on Impa.

Shoot the eye.

Farore, did she feel stupid. She quickly nocked an arrow and aimed carefully. Thankfully, the eye rarely moved so she had a pretty stationary target. She loosed the arrow. It flew…relatively true. It didn't hit dead center, but it sunk into the outer rim of the eye. The hands flew up to the eye and began pawing at it frantically. Impa placed her hands on her hips triumphantly.

She had defeated…out of the blue, the hands stopped their pawing and the eye turned toward her. She didn't have time to duck out of the way before one of the hands tightened around her and brought her back over the drum. But it didn't drop her, apparently the monster was done having fun. It began increasing it's grip around her body.

Impa gasped, she couldn't breathe. This was it. She was going to be crushed by a giant bongo playing demon. What a way to go. Black spots began to form before her eyes and she became dizzy. She brought up the image of ember eyes again, attempting to calm herself. It was too bad she'd never get to see him again. She had sort of liked him and his cocky attitude. He'd never get his necklace back either, it would remain here with her rotting carcass forever, or until some other unlucky Sheikah stumbled upon her. She doubted he'd really care. Him and his ember eyes…

The necklace! Thankfully, one of her arms was free and she reached for her neck. Snapping the chain with her last vestiges of strength, she raised the pendant and sliced down.

The hand let go suddenly and she dropped, gasping for breath, onto the drum. Her bow and arrows fell beside her and she didn't even pause for a decent breath. She grabbed one of the arrows that had slid out of the quiver, instantly nocked it and fired at the eye. The arrow hit home this time, striking dead center. The red eye exploded, showering Impa with nasty red goo. But she didn't care, she was alive! The hands dissipated into ashes, just like the smaller hands before. It fell onto her and coated her with a thin layer. She was the happiest, smelliest Sheikah alive.

The drum collapsed to the floor and the entire room went black for a moment. Impa just sat there, reveling not so much in her victory, but in the fact that she had survived. She had actually beaten that thing!

After a few moments a door materialized out of thin air and swung open. A soft purple glow emanated from it's depths. Impa pulled herself up and staggered towards the doorway. She had triumphed over the Shadow Temple, she could just sense it. She stepped into the doorway and was met with the sight of a withered old man.

He was seated at a rather decrepit looking writing desk, leaning over a piece of parchment. When she entered the room, however, he looked up. He looked at her and then he looked behind her out the door, then he looked at her again.

"Who are you," He grumbled.

"Um, excuse me?" Impa replied, sorely confused. She had expected the exit to be through here. Not some guy's room.

"I said, who are you? You're not dumb, are you?" Impa blinked at him utter shock. Who the hell did this guy think he was? How did he get here anyway? It looked like a slight breeze would blow him over. She didn't even want to entertain the idea that some homeless Hylian bum had managed to make his way to the end of the Shadow Temple and set up house. But, Farore, it sure looked like it.

"I most certainly am not dumb!" She screeched back, not in the least bit amused. "I beat that massive demon out there, and his little slimy friend too!"

"They're ghosts, dummy, not demons. And I'm most certain you did not beat them. More likely, you annoyed them to the breaking point and they simply did not wish to deal with you any longer. Bongo Bongo is probably off licking his wounds in some deep dark recess of the earth," He put down his quill after that tirade and stared at her pointedly. Impa was struck dumb by his words. This guy was cracked!

"Furthermore," He started up again, and Impa just rolled her eyes. "You did not answer my question,"

"Fine, you nut, my name is Impa,"

Now that, seemed to really get his attention. He turned completely towards her and stood up, his strange purple eyes studying her like a lab rat. Goddesses, this place was seriously the creepiest on earth. Creepy crawling hands, creepy oozing blobs, creepy drum-playing, mammoth monster, and this creepy and utterly crazy old man. She looked around him, hoping there was a door. There wasn't.

"Ah, Impa," He said slowly, as he began shuffling towards her. She backed up, not really wanting him anywhere near her. Her back hit solid wall. What? There had been a door there about three seconds ago. She looked back. Nothing, just wall. Ugh, what a nightmare.

"How did you like the Shadow Temple?" He stopped a few steps away from her, leering at her. Impa really wanted to make a run for it, but it seemed all the exits had simply disappeared. She sighed, resigning herself to this inane conversation with Grandpa Crackpot.

"It was dark and filled with disembodied hands and slimy blobs and that Bongo Bongo thing you were talking about. How do you think it was?"

He chuckled. "Well, I'm hardly a good judge, since I'm stuck here. I find it quite homey now." Crackpot, crackpot, she started chanting in her head. "You might as well get used to it too,"

That made her stop. What? What the hell did he mean? Was she not getting out of here? But, she had beat that thing! Or at least severely annoyed it, as McNutter here had said. Either way that had to count for something.

"Now, don't look at me like that. Of course you completed your Ordeal and yes, you're going to be able to leave in a few moments. That wasn't what I meant. You teenagers can only think of the present, now can't you?" She released a large sigh of relief, not even bothering to mask it.

"Well, why am I still here then?"

"Because, if you haven't noticed, I'm talking to you. Kids!" He threw his hands up in the air, clearly exasperated. He turned and hobbled back over to his desk. She had judged that this old guy clearly wasn't a threat, so she followed a few steps afterwards. What could he possibly want to talk about? She was quite done here.

"Okay, what is it?" She inquired, impatiently. He ignored her this time and sat down. Leaning over, which triggered a low groan, he opened one of the drawers and pulled something out. Something shiny. Something like…her necklace! How did he get it? She had just stabbed it into that Bongo thing.

"I believe this is yours," He said gruffly, handing it over to her. She couldn't help but smile at that. Even the chain was repaired.

"That necklace is going to mean a lot in the future, take good care of it. And please don't take that literally,"

"Uh, right, sure," Whatever, old man. She planned on taking good care of it, but she couldn't really see how he could mean that statement any other way. "Can I go now?"

"Oh fine, get out of here," He said, waving his hand. A door materialized at the opposite end of the room. It swung open revealing a flight of stairs leading up into darkness.

"Thanks. Well, um, bye," She started off toward the stairs, cringing at the looming darkness. Very funny, temple, had to get one last jab in now, didn't you?

"Be careful, Impa. You have every right to fear the darkness," He called after her. She didn't turn, but shivered slightly. She wanted to get out of here. Now.

The stairs reminded her of the ones from the very beginning, shrouded in suffocating darkness. Farore, that felt like ages ago. She stumbled upward, as once again, there was no banister. Finally, she stepped into something hard.

This better not be that crackpot's idea of a joke. She pushed against the wall and slowly it began to budge. It was a door! It creaked open, allowing a wave of fresh air wash over her. She fell out the small opening onto thick green grass. Again, she was easily the happiest Sheikah alive.

The sky above her was still painted dark blue, but dawn was quickly weaving it's way up the horizon. She didn't know how long she had been in there, nor did she care. Records didn't matter anymore, she was out, she had survived.

* * *

A.N.: _Phew! That was long! I had forgotten how much I liked this story. I finally got my hands on another copy of the game and was able to play it through. My memory was getting a little hazy. I also sat down and outlined the story, so I could stave away the ever dreaded writer's block! This chapter is a bit different than the other, I tried to write action-wise, instead of introspective-wise. Since, well, there's a decent amount of action in it! Thank you to everyone who left kind reviews! _


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